Brake-beam.



G. F. HUNTOON.

BRAKE BEAM.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. a, 1913.

Patented July 8, 1913.

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CHARLES F. HUNTOON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'lO ELMYR A. LAUGHLIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BRAKE-BEAM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8,1913.

Divided and this application filed March 8,

To all whom. I may concern.

Be it known that I, Gunnnns F. HUN'rooN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of (look, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Brake- Beams, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of this invention is to provide an in'rproved. construction for railway brake beams having special reference to the joint between the strut and tension member.

In certain forms of brake beams, particularly those wherein the tension member has upset, bent or enlarged ends, it is desirable to arrange the seat for the tension member in the strut so that the tension member may be readily passed sidewise into and out 01" the seat.

A further object therefore is to provide a construction of this kind which can be assembled with a minimum of labor and which provides a support from which the tension member cannot become accidentally disengaged.

The present application is a division of my copending application filed April 20, 1912, Serial No. 692,077, in which application claims are made covering features of the third suspension member for brake beams herein illustrated but not particularly described and claimed.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly sectional. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan. Fig. 3 a -fragmentary sectional detail illustrating by dotted lines the manner in which the tension member is mounted and removed.

The brake beam shown in the drawings comprises a compression member 1 with brake heads 2 at its ends, a strut 3, and a tension member 4. The brake beam is suspended by means of the usual links 5 carried by bracket arms 6 on the truck bolster 7.

Lugs or shoulders 8 and 9 are cast integral with the end of the strut 3 to pro vide between them a seat for the tension member 4. The shoulder 9 is made somewhat longer than the shoulder S and has at its end an upstanding transverse lug 10 located to prevent the tension member from accidentally leaving its scat between the lugs S and 9. This arrangement allows the tension member 4 to be readily inserted into its seat without disturbing the lugs 8, 9 and 10 if it is first tilted to the inclined position indicated in dotted outlines in Fig. 3. It will then be securely locked against dislodgment. when its ends are secured to the eompression member, as will readily appear.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that some of the details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim 1. A brake beam comprising a compression member and a tension member connected at both ends, a strut extending between said members intermediate of their ends, said strut having a seat. therein for said tension member, and shoulders at opposite sides of said seat and spaced apart to permit said tension member to be passed sidewise into and out of said seat when tilted out of the plane of said compression member, said shoulders being located to prevent dislodgment of said tension member when it lies in the plane of said compression member.

2. In a brake beam the combination of a compression member, a tension member, a transversely disposed strut interposed between said compression and tension members, a pair of shoulders on said strut spaced apart so as to engage opposite edges oi and provide a seat for said tension member, one of said shoulders being of greater length than the other and having a transversely disposed lug thereon at the frontv of said tension member, said shoulders and lug being of such lengths as to provide a space between their ends of sufficient width for the passage of said tension member when tilted to an inclined position, for the purpose specified.

A brake beam comprising a compression member and a tension member connected at both ends, a strut extending between said members intermediate of their ends, said strut having a seat therein for said tension member, a shoulder at one side of said seat bent to partly embrace said tensio-n member, and a shoulder at the other der to permit said tension member to be passed sidewise into and out of said seat when tilted out of the plane of said compression member, said shoulders being located to prevent dislodgment of said tension member when it lies in the plane of said compression member.

4. In a brake beam the oombination'of a compression member, a tension member, a transversely disposed strut interposed between said compression and said tension members, and a pair of shoulders on said strut spaced apart so as to provide a seat between them for sa1d tenslon member, one

of said shoulders being of greater length than the other and having a transversely disposed lug thereon at the front of said tension member, said shoulders and lug be- 20 ing spaced to permit the passage of said tension member when tilted to an inclined position and to prevent such passage When said tension member lies in the plane of said compression member. 25

Signed at Chicago this 5th day of March, 1913.

RIon'ARD F. C. SCHULTZ, MARIE A. WVIDMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing 'the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

